The present disclosure relates to cooling for electronic devices, and more specifically, to a structural assembly including a thermal heat spreader for cold plate cooling.
Generally speaking, electronic devices generate heat which can damage the electronic devices if the heat is not dissipated properly. Various cooling technologies have been developed to cool electronic devices including, but not limited to, recirculating chillers, liquid-to-liquid cooling systems, and ambient cooling systems.
Effectively cooling electronic devices is more difficult in environments that have either spatial and/or energy constraints, such as aerospace, aeronautic, or similar applications. Currently, electronic devices used in these types of applications are cooled by mounting the electronic devices to a structural cold plate assembly that uses liquid cooling to remove the heat from the electronic devices. A structural cold plate assembly typically includes a structural member and at least one cold plate attached to the structural member and located directly between the structural member and the electronic device it is cooling. Currently, the location, shape and size of the cold plate are determined by the placement and dimensions of the electronic device the cold plate is cooling. By requiring the cold plate to be located between the structural member and the electronic device the overall thickness of the structural cold plate assembly is increased.